Page 84 - Security Today, October 2018

COVER STORY
THE IMPORTANCE OF
COORDINATED COMMUNICATION
Keeping schools safe in an emergency situation hinges on effective communications By Les Miller
Educators are challenged with not only educating children but also guiding them safely into successful adulthood. However, they face ample challenges in that endeavor— the rise of cyberbullying, even as schools gain traction in reducing traditional bullying activity, ongoing budget pressures as communities demand more services while funding for core programming decreases, the increase in technological distrac- tions for students and, tragically, the inexplicable acts of violence we see far too often in the news.
Not surprisingly, student and staff safety is top of mind for school officials. In a recent survey of educators by Motorola Solutions, an overwhelming 92 percent said creating a safe, secure environment is a priority. To that end, an overriding question applies: Do you have a communication plan ready in the event of a school emergency, and the equipment to execute it?
K-12 schools admirably pursue the latest security and safety tech- nology, ranging from video cameras and lockdown systems to emer- gency push notifications and access control. These can be amazing assets in the effort to preserve student and staff safety. However, reli- able emergency communications—the network and technology that
allow school officials to communicate with each other and, ideally, first responders during an incident—remains a critical (and sometimes overlooked) foundation of the entire school safety effort.
In the most tragic incidents, the value and importance of coordi- nated communication between school officials and law enforcement agencies cannot be overstated. For example, Guy Grace, the director of security and emergency planning for the Littleton Public Schools in Colorado, credits an observant maintenance staffer and Motorola Solu- tions’ two-way APX radios for limiting the loss of life at a school shoot- ing at Arapahoe High School in a Denver suburb. When the commer- cial cellular networks were overwhelmed by traffic, the only means of communication available to Grace’s team and the first responders dur- ing those critical moments was the two-way radio network.
While school shootings appear far too often in the news, they are a rarity compared to the “everyday emergencies” school staffers deal with regularly. From an injured soccer player to vandalism in the park- ing lot, school resource officers and security staff are asked to smooth- ly and quickly manage a dizzying array of issues on a daily basis. The ability to consistently communicate among educators and potential outside resources is a daily necessity, not something that only applies
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